Experimental Study on Behaviors of Pile-Abutment Joint in Integral Abutment Bridge

This study dealt with the behavior of pile-abutment joints in integral abutment bridges. Two types of pile-abutment joints were proposed to strengthen its rigid action. One was fabricated with transverse rebars which penetrated the H-pile in the abutment. The other was composed of stud shear connectors on the flanges of the H-pile. Three half scaled pile-abutment joint specimens were fabricated and loading tests were performed to evaluate the behavior of proposed joints. The results showed that the initial stiffness in elastic region of all specimens was sufficient to be applied for the integral abutment bridges. However, the performances of the proposed joints were shown to be more effective in rigid action compared to the joints types suggested by the Integral Bridge Design Guideline. The results from stiffness, strength, rotation and crack propagation tests supported this matter.